These tools were used for shaping logs and branches. This woodworking tool’s main uses are in making log cabins and pulpits-think Henry David Thoreau’s famous Walden Pond cabin. Pocket adzes are used for coarse chopping. To use an overhanded adze, you grip it just like you would a pair of shears by using both hands and pressing down on its blade. Although it’s called a pocket adze, it has absolutely nothing to do with your pockets! The pocket adze is one of several names for an overhanded woodworking tool. It’s usually made from metal, but sometimes from fiberglass or hard plastic. Its shape allows for more power than other types of hammers and mallets. By those who may need to enter a building quickly due to an emergency.Īlso, this tool has a blunt blade and is used for smashing materials apart during demolition work. They can be carried by police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and even utility workers. These tools are used to force entry into locked properties if they need access in an emergency. One puts pressure on the blade to use it and pulls it back. It looks similar to an ax with a wide blade attached. This is one of the types of adzes that is used much like a drawknife. This is probably why they’re still popular today. In times when materials were scarce or hard to come by, these tools were priceless. This process could go on for days, depending upon how large and deep-seated an area needed to be worked.Ī single man using an ice adze could cut through almost 200 pounds per day when working his hardest. To use, it was heated up until red-hot and then pressed against a wall of ice to chip away at it. It was usually made out of steel and looked like an oversized chisel with one side flat and another that had been ground to a point. Ice AdzeĪn ice adze (also known as a pit adze) is a specialized pick used in mining to cut through rocks that are frozen into ice. There are two main types of adzes – left- and right-handed.Ī left-handed one will have its blade on your left side when you hold it in front of you, while a right-handed adze will be on your right side. This is because it helps shape and smooth pieces of wood when constructing furniture or homes. In fact, many years ago, these were used by armies across Europe and Asia in their war efforts. Nowadays, they are most commonly used by carpenters and woodworkers worldwide. Like an axe or hatchet, an adze’s blade has cutting edges that are perpendicular to its handle. The blade is flat and generally, but not always, curved on both sides. It looks like a large, heavy axe with a broad blade that narrows to about a 90-degree angle at the back end of its head. It can be used as a woodworking tool or even for combat! What is Adze?Īn adze is an ancient tool that dates back to as early as 15,000 B.C. Learning the types of adze that exist will help you decide what type of tool will work best for your project.Īlso, let you know which tool to pick up at your local hardware store or woodworking shop when needed.

Whether you use your adze in construction work or on your home improvement projects, there are types of adze that you should become familiar with to know which one best suits the job. The adze certainly lives up to its name as a shape-altering tool that can be utilized in various tasks.Īdze are great tools to have in your arsenal of carpentry tools, whether you’re building your first canoe or working on a complex sculpture. Used to chisel away at wood, shaping and smoothing it until it was just right. One of the most common tools in any carpenter’s arsenal, the adze, has been used for centuries across many different cultures. Flipboard Reddit Facebook Pinterest X LinkedIn WhatsApp

Hand woodworking tools adze